STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A surprising October snow storm may have left our area overnight, but that doesn't mean its hazard has passed as well.

With temperatures near the freezing mark this morning, icy spots on roadways, sidewalks and parking lots will pose slick travel conditions for motorists and pedestrians, the National Weather Service cautioned in a morning advisory.

The fall storm, whose powerful winds brought down hundreds of trees and power lines across the borough, left some areas with two inches of snow.

As many as 12,000 borough residents were without power at the height of the damage yesterday. By this morning, that number was down to 2,218, according to Con Edison's online outage map.

The storm caused the cancellation of several events on the borough today, including the Italian Car Show at Casa Belvedere and the Halloween Extravaganza at Bloomingdale Park.

On Staten Island, in Annadale, a reported 1.9 inches accumulated on the ground. In Central Park, 2.9 inches were measured, dwarfing an 86-year-old record of 0.8 inches and marking only the fourth measurable snowfall here in October since 1869.

"It's very unusual to see snow like this in October," said Alan Ruppert, a meteorologist from AccuWeather. "It's the first time there's ever been an inch or more of snow in New York City at this time."

But despite the out-of-season snow storm, Ruppert said people should not expect an overly harsh winter. "This isn't a sign of anything to come. We're expecting near-normal snowfall this winter."

The early start to winter began yesterday at about 11:45 a.m.; as of yesterday evening, Ruppert said the worst of the storm was over and that there was no snow in the forecast for at least the next week.